Feathers and Fur
by black or white roses
Summary: Tatsuki has spent most of her life in prison. How will it change once she is rescued by the Griel Mercenaries? T for implied IkexSoren... and strip chess.... Kinda on pause....
1. The Mercenaries

Staring at the blank wall, Tatsuki studied the unchanging cell wall. _Three weeks. I've been in here for three, oops! _Fixing the marks she had made on the stone wall_, Four weeks... Sounds better then a month... _Perking up when she heard the old, wooden door shut, Tatsuki tried to imagine what the food she smelled would look like.

"Bread and water." Tatsuki stayed in the back corner of her sell. The 'good' food always ran out before the man got to her, but she thanked him silently anyways. _Ooh! They used butter!_ Having heard the noise the prisoner made, the guard left, smiling. _She never ceases to amaze me..._ Settling down, Tatsuki savoured her bread, saving the water in her pouch.

"Ike, are you sure it's safe to go in there? I mean- "

"Soren?" The boy fixed his hair and nodded his head. "Are you feeling alright? I know helping people isn't your passion, but you never question my decisions... Are you ill?" Soren shook his head. His black hair was now resting on his shoulders. Eyes bright, he fixed his many layers of clothing before looking over at his commander, and best friend.

"I'm fine Ike, if you should be worried about anyone, it should be you." Ike just smiled, turning his blue eyes to the prison. Fixing his headband to keep his dark blue hair spiked up, Ike gave the order to go inside the rotting building.

Upon entering, the musty smell of rotting flesh clogged the mercenary's noses, making many recoil in disgust. Spreading out, Soren made his way over to the healer, and priest. "Rhys?" Turning his pale face to meet the mage's, he answered.

"Yes Soren?" His orange hair accented by the paleness of his skin and robes. The mage pointed over to the far cell and Rhys gasped. A trail led from where the two were standing right to the cell, a trail of blood. Following the trail, the two boys heard crying coming from inside the cell, the door was open slightly. Opening the door fully, Rhys was the first to enter, while Soren called for Ike. He approached the two figures, both cloaked in darkness. One was crying, while the other lay beside it. Softly kneeling, the healer tried to get closer to the figures as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Slowly, the figures became clearer. The one lying down was the one bleeding. He looked no older than thirty, and wore clothes of the Daein army. _The guard! But what about the other?!_ Rhys crept closer, revealing the figure as a girl, no older than fifteen. Her eyes were rimmed with red and tears. Encased in her hand was the hand of the man. Instantly, Rhys pulled out his staff and began to heal the man. Managing to stop his bleeding, Rhys looked back to see Soren and Ike behind him. Focusing back to the man, he noticed the girl had moved into the light and was looking down at the man. Ike moved into a crouching position beside Rhys, and opposite of the girl. She jumped, falling back out of her crouching position, and into Soren, who was looking at the half-eaten piece of bread. She yelped, quickly getting off of Soren, who promptly wiped the butter off of his face. Smiling slightly, Ike helped them both up, leading the girl away from the man.

"Did that man hurt you miss?" The girl shook her head violently, causing her short, dirty hair to cover her face. Her black eyes, accented by the red rims, began to tear up as she looked over at the man. She began to explain how he always brought her food, even though he got punished of doing so. Looking back at Ike, she asked who he was, and what his group was doing in the prison. "We are the Greil mercenaries. My name is Ike, this is Soren." He began, pointing at the boy who was now eating the piece of bread. "And Rhys." Ike finished, pointing to the boy healing the guard.

"Ike, we've almost finished helping the prisoners escape, is there- oh! Need any help?" Continuing, Ike pointed to the green-haired boy as he dismounted from his horse.

"And this is Oscar, and yes, we would like help. Get Titania, she'll know what to do." The girl stared at Ike, then Soren, Rhys, and back to Ike. Slowly, she began to back away, overwhelmed by all the people. Tripping, she was caught by Rhys, who had finished healing the guard. As she scrambled to get up, Rhys wrapped his arms around the quivering girl, in hopes to comfort her. Her sobs gradually began to quiet as Rhys ran his fingers through her hair, taking off the mud to reveal her white hair. Removing her face from his now soaked shoulder, the girl introduced herself as Tatsuki. She looked up at Ike, hoping he would reply, when a red-haired knight entered.

"Ike, Oscar told me you wanted to see me. What do you want help with?" Her white horse was clearly showing its impatience. Smiling, Ike nodded to Rhys, who helped Tatsuki up. Leading her over to Titania, she was then placed behind her on the horse. Rhys then walked back to Ike and Soren, who were helping the guard up. Waving her goodbye, Titania set off, followed closely be Oscar and Rhys on Oscar's horse. Only Ike was left, and he had the job of making sure everyone had escaped.


	2. The Laguz

"So, your name is Tatsuki?" Titania asked the new recruit. Nodding, she smiled as the wind blew through her hair. _What an odd haircut, the front is longer than the back, which spikes straight out at her collar. _Focusing back on the road, Titania slowed her pace to let Oscar and the others catch up. Tatsuki looked back, waving at Ike to hurry up, her black eyes shining with joy when he waved back. Her face lit up with a smile when everyone caught up. _That's all I've seen her do, she hasn't even said anything, but it's like she doesn't need to..._ Titania thought to herself as Tatsuki was introduced to Illyana, Boyd, Mia, Mist and Rolf. Lethe transformed into her human form, introducing the girl to Mordecai and herself, the two laguz.

"Silly little beorc, letting herself get captured." Lethe patted Tatsuki on the head, surprising everyone with her compassion. Lethe suddenly stopped. _Ears? Sort of like mine?_ "Well little beorc," Lethe started coming eye level with her. "Turns out you're a laguz. Guess that's why you don't stink." Everyone else's mouths formed little circles with surprise. Fixing Tatsuki's hair, Lethe revealed a pair of fuzzy ears perched on top of her head. "Will you join us to Begnion, little laguz?" Nodding, Tatsuki's gaze shifted to Mordecai, watching him change into his human form.

"Mordecai likes little laguz, she's nice looking." Blushing with the compliment, she continued listening. "But Mordecai thinks beorc girls are too thin, like Illyana." Tatsuki stared at her feet. She never had more than a piece of bread a day, and usually didn't even finish that. Seeing the doom cloud hanging over the girl, Mordecai tried to lighten the mood. "Lethe is cat, Mordecai is tiger, what is Tatsuki?" She just shook her head.

"I ... Don't know..." Mordecai strained closer, trying to hear the girl, flustering her. Bringing her sleeves further past her hands, she started again, a little louder. "I don't know..." Mordecai circled the girl. She was as tall at Lethe, but quite a bit slimmer. She was curvy, but not overly curvy.

_Average_. Mordecai continued circling her. _Tatsuki's ears, they confuse Mordecai..._ Reaching a hand out, Mordecai started to mover Tatsuki's hair, running his fingers down her ear. _Mordecai has never seen ears like Tatsuki's._ Deciding to talk to the Gallian king about it, Mordecai noticed how nervous Tatsuki had become. Smiling, he stopped, and returned to Lethe's side. Glancing over at Soren, Tatsuki noticed his change of expression. His glare told her exactly how he felt about laguz, since he had been wearing that frown since Mordecai and Lethe came. Noticing Tatsuki was staring, Soren glared back, grabbing Mist's attention. She elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to glare briefly at her before leaving to talk to Ike. Looking at the ground, Tatsuki mounted the horse Oscar had brought for her, and followed the rest of the mercenaries into the sunset.


	3. Joining

"Tatsuki... Tatsuki...Wake up..." She felt the cold morning air on her bare shoulders. Pulling her oversized shirt higher to cover her, she felt something warm on her neck. Shaking the sleep from her body, she saw Soren pulling a red scarf around her neck. Smiling slightly, she pulled her shirt up, and reached for her cloak.

_He seems nice... What did that glare yesterday mean then?_ Pulling it around her, she yelped; snow falling down her back as she heard Soren giggle softly. He pulled Tatsuki to her feet, and mounted her on his horse, leaving hers for Ike. Resting her head on his snow-covered shoulder, she awoke with a start from the lack of heat in the snow. As her heat melted the snow, she watched the trees fly by, the smell of cinnamon mingling with the smell of pine.

Slowly, the sound of horses hooves came to a stop and Tatsuki lifted her head, having dozed off many times. Looking up, she saw an old house. The many new people bustling around told her that this was where the mercenaries lived. As he helped her off the horse, Ike introduced her to al the new people.

"Tatsuki, these are the Greil Mercenaries." He pointed over at a green haired girl standing off to the side. "And princess Elincia, princess of Crimea." Tatsuki immediately bowed. Leading her into the crowd, Ike continued introducing her. "This is Kieran and Brom," He pointed to the knights, one dressed in red, the other in blue. "They were in the same prison as you, have you met them before?" She shook her head. "Hmmmm... Oh! This is Volke, the thief, and, Shinon! Wait!" The man stopped. His long dark red hair was tied back, accented by his dark green clothes and tan scarf. "Yes Ike?" His deep voice came as a surprise to Tatsuki, who quickened her pace to keep up with Ike.

"It's Christmas! Won't you spend it with us?" Ike smiled back at Tatsuki. "Oh! And this is Tatsuki!" Both Shinon and the girl nodded their heads to acknowledge the other's presence. Shinon turned to Tatsuki before he spoke again.

"Is she staying?" Ike nodded, making Shinon smile. "Then I could stay a little longer. I'll show her around Ike, your sister wanted to talk to you." Looking over at Tatsuki, Shinon's face suddenly became serious. "Laguz?" Nodding, she looked at the ground. "I've never heard of a mouse Laguz. Stand up straight, no one will hurt you here." Shinon put his hand on her shoulder, using the other to raise her shin. "There, now, what kinds of weapons did you use?" Shrugging, Tatsuki replied.

"I...Don't know..." Looking up at Shinon, she continued. "What do you use?" He pulled out his bow. "I never had really good accuracy." Pushing her forward, Shinon began to lead Tatsuki to the training ground, before running into Titania.

"Yes?" Shinon pulled Tatsuki beside him, so his commander could see her. Nodding in Shinon's direction, Titania looked over at Tatsuki.

"May I have a few words with you? Privately?" Shinon took his hand off Tatsuki's head as she followed the knight.

"Please, have a seat Tatsuki, this won't take long." Titania started as they both took their seats. "As you know," Her tone became serious, but still stayed warm. "My name is Titania. I understand that Ike has already told many people that you are staying here. He talked to Kieran and Brom already, but is busy now, so I would like to ask something of you." Tatsuki nodded. Taking her eyes off the floor, she looked up. "Kieran and Brom were quite willing to join our group, so I will ask the same of you; would you join us? I'm sure we can protect you from who ever captured you, and you'll have a family here." Thinking briefly, she answered.

"But I have nothing to offer you in return..." Titania just smiled.

"Can you cook?" She nodded. "Then that is enough, unless you can fight, as well?" The knight leaned closer, still smiling.

"I...I've never tired fighting. Could you teach me here?" Nodding, Titania held out her hand for Tatsuki to shake.

"Then it's settled. Welcome, officially, to the Greil Mercenaries." They both stood, shaking hands, when Gatrie burst in. He waved his arms to keep his balance while trying to stop, but had no such luck in his armour.

I'm so sorry!!" Gatrie leaned over, helping the girl up. "Alright?" Nodding, Tatsuki brushed off her black pants, standing almost as tall as the other knight.

"What is it Gatrie?" Titania addressed her comrade.

"Well, nothing really. I just wanted to see if there really was a new recruit... That's all." Gatrie walked towards the door, scratching his head.

"Gatrie? Can you send Soren over, and Ike? I need to speak with him." Titania called after Gatrie. Once Soren walked through the door with Ike, Titania explained the plan, hoping the commander would approve of it. "Alright, Tatsuki doesn't know if she can fight, and you, Soren made it clear that you weren't done shopping yet. So, Ike, I was wondering if you could take these two to the market. Tatsuki can see if anything sparks her interest, then Soren can finish shopping." They all nodded. Ike turned to Soren as they walked out of his father's old office.

"Soren?" He nodded. "Tatsuki needs a room, do you know of an empty one?" Soren paused, pondering the thought, then spoke softly.

"Yes. The one at the end of the hall is empty, the one between mine and Mordecai's." Ike nodded, and Soren walked up to Tatsuki, who was looking quite confused. Taking her hand, he led her to her room, leaving Ike to watch the two misfits leave. _I hope they can open up to each other... They're more alike then they both know._ Ike leaned against the wall, looking out the window as he waited for Soren to come back.

"This is your room. Hope you like it." With that, Soren left, closing the door behind him, reopening it because he had forgotten something. The girl turned to look at him again. "Meet us at the front in an hour." Leaving again, Tatsuki waited. Once she knew he had left, she walked to the center of the small room. The stone walls were mostly covered with bookcases. A small cupboard sat in the corner, along with a dresser and a desk, the bright wood shining in the sun. Looking to her left, Tatsuki noticed a window, with a small ledge, covered with a thick wool blanket. _...The bed..._ Sitting down on the cold, stone floor, she finally began to relax as she stared up at the bookcases. _Strategy books..._ Getting up, Tatsuki picked the thickest book out of the shelf, and began to study.


	4. Ranulf

"We told her to meet us here in an hour, where is she?!" Soren had become impatient, while Ike just sighed in response. _He's so cute..._

"We need to get going, or we won't make it home by night all. Soren, we'll have to leave without her." Mounting their horses, the two left, passing a laguz as they went through the gate.

Changing back into his human form, Ranulf began to wipe the mud from his body; putting his shoes back on before entering the mercenaries home. His sky blue hair was tipped with mud, his sparkling one blue eye and one green eye, accenting his pale skin. Opening the door, Ranulf was greeted by the smells of cookies and the sound of laughter. Out of the kitchen came a laguz, her white hair shone in the light, and her sparkling black eyes showed surprise when she spotted Ranulf. She smiled his way, and Ranulf noticed her ears. _...I've never seen ears like that... white as snow..._ Gasping, she ran to shut the door.

"Sir, are you alright? You look frozen. Here come sit with us in the kitchen, you'll be able to warm up there." Wiping the snow from Ranulf's shoulders, she pulled him towards the kitchen. _Her hands are so soft... and she smells... like chocolate..._ Leaning closer, the male savoured her smell before entering the bustle of the kitchen.

"Ranulf! So glad you could come! Oh! And this is the newbie, Tatsuki!" Oscar introduced the two, who nodded to each other.

"Is Ike in?" Ranulf's warm voice rang through the kitchen, grabbing the attention of the rest of the group.

"You passed him on your way in." Titania spoke, raising her eyes from the turkey. "How have you been, Ranulf, and how has the Gallian king been?" The last question surprised Tatsuki the most.

_The Gallian king? How would... Ranulf know him?_ Noticing her expression, Ranulf put his hand on her head, answering both questions.

"We're both fine, and how about the Greil Mercenaries? Is all going well?" Nods went through the crowd as Ranulf leaned down, whispering in Tatsuki's ear. "How about you? They treating you well?" Nodding, she looked back at Ranulf, who had just taken his hand off of her head. Smiling, his eyes swept the crowd once more before scampering off to talk to Mordecai and Lethe. Tatsuki just smiled, and went back to cutting cookies.

"POOF!" Ranulf's surprised face was accented by the powdered sugar.

"Tatsuki! I told you not to get that-" Titania was cut off mid-sentence by the laguz.

"Eep!" Tatsuki took off at full speed, with Ranulf following close behind her. She was supposed to powder the cake, but Ranulf looked so serious, that Tatsuki couldn't resist. Reaching the end of the hall, Tatsuki ran into her room, slamming the door in Ranulf's face. Sighing, she slid down the door, dropping the bag of powdered sugar beside her. After a few minutes, she pressed her rear to the door. Hearing nothing, Tatsuki got up off the floor, and went back to studying.

"If there are few enemies, there is a possibility that they will jump you..." Tatsuki continued, allowing Ranulf to silently slip into her room, picking up the powdered sugar on his way by it. Concentrating, he stopped all movement in his tail, and padded towards the girl.

_She's not moving, god. That means I'm still alright..._ Stopping behind her, Ranulf raised the bag slightly, the rustling of his clothing causing Tatsuki's ears to twitch. She raised her hand, grabbing the bag from Ranulf, covering his face once again, with sugar. Smiling, she turned to face him with a rag in her hand, and began to wipe his face off.

"How did you hear me?" Ranulf had good ears, but even he couldn't pick up the rustling of fabrics, no matter how close to them he was. Removing the last of the sugar, she smiled, and pointed to her ears. He noticed the odd shape before she left to wash out the rag. _Her ears are... so... round..._ Reaching his hand up past his headband, Ranulf examined his own set of ears. _Mine are so... so... skinny, and... not as fluffy._ Leaning to his right, Ranulf could see Tatsuki's reflection in the bathroom mirror. _How are her ears so fuzzy. I mean, Mordecai's aren't that fuzzy, so she... hast to be a different kind of laguz._ Ranulf's eyes drifted from her head to her ankles. _ But then, where's her tail?!_ He studied the girl's figure. _Mordecai was right, she is average... but... there's not even a hint that she has, or ever did have, a tail._ He got up, making his way to where she was. Reaching his hands up, he wrapped one around her waits, taking Tatsuki by surprise. Ranulf's other hand began to play with her hair, moving it so he could examine her ears closer. _She only comes to my chest? I thought she was taller? Is Lethe really that short?_ Turning so Ranulf could see better, Tatsuki rested her head on his chest, listening to his heart.

_It's... so... calming, and even..._ She smiled, pulling closer, wrapping her arms around him in a hug.

_And she doesn't even know what she is... There __would__ be a possibility, if only she had a-_ Ranulf was interrupted by something brushing against his shin. _So you do have a tail..._ He smiled _Fluffy and white, just like your ears._

"I... missed your name, sorry. What was it?" Tatsuki's soft voice was just soft enough for Ranulf to hear. She pulled away, now looking at his face. Smiling, Ranulf pulled her back to his chest and re-wrapped his arms around her.

"Ranulf, and you?" She smiled. Opening her mouth, she was interrupted.

"Tatsuki! Ike and Soren are home, and they want to talk to you!" Sighing, she took Ranulf's hand, pulling him out of her room and towards the room where she met Titania. Smiling at Ranulf once more, Tatsuki left him outside the room as she slipped into the room, closing the door behind her.

"Yes Commander?"

"Did you forget to meet us? We just went to the market without you, so you'll have to work with what we have here. "Without pausing to let Tatsuki answer, Ike continued. "Please follow me to the training grounds. You'll meet Soren, Oscar, Titania and Shinon there.

"...Yes Commander..." Tatsuki hung her head, and followed Ike out, and was then followed by Ranulf as the three of them left for the training grounds.


	5. Training

"Tatsuki! Please try to pay attention! Ranulf, are you sure she's not a cat? Her attention span is about as long as one's!" Tatsuki had been stalking a butterfly for the last five minutes, and was now rolling around in the grass after loosing it.

"Yes Titania... Maybe we should try a different approach..." _How should we do this..._ Ranulf walked over to the girl, smiling when she looked up at him, hair full of grass. He hunched over, and began to take all the grass out, explaining the new plan to her.

"Alright, I'm gonna train you now; kay?" She nodded, so Ranulf led her over to the middle of the field. "Kay now. I want you to take this, and shoot that." He pointed to the tree, about thirty paces from them. Slowly, Tatsuki raised the bow, inserted an arrow, and began to pull the string back. Aiming, the took a breath, closed her eyes, then let the string go. Jaws dropped as the arrow flew, hitting the middle of the tree. "Good. Again." Ranulf pointed to an apple hanging from the tree. Raising the bow again, she hit the apple perfectly. Opening her eyes, Tatsuki smiled. _I __can__ fight._ Smiling, she looked back at Ranulf, who smiled encouragingly. "Titania, the axe was too heavy, can we make it lighter?" Looking to Tatsuki, he continued. "Who do you want to fight next?" She pointed to Ike, who had a training sword in his hand. Walking up to her, Ike handed Tatsuki the sword, along with some words of encouragement.

"Try to hit me." Tatsuki smiled, ant took three steps back, thinking back to the strategy guide. _Alright, all I have to do is get him confident, that he can win, so that he'll give me some openings._ Readying her sword, Tatsuki let Ike have the first attack. _I need to rely on my speed, but how fast can go?_ Ike ran at her, breaking her thoughts. Slicing at her mid- section, Tatsuki dodged, noting his stance after each rapid attack. _ Left, left, left, Ike must be right-handed. Left, he always leans to the right._ Quickly, she dodged, stepping behind Ike tapping his left rib, then slid her sword down to his hip before returning to dodging. After her first attack, Ike began to cover his left side more, allowing Tatsuki to brush his right hip all the way to his left shoulder with her practice sword.

_I didn't think she would be that fast! She really is something else..._ Tatsuki dropped her sword as well, looking over at Ranulf for guidance.

"Now Oscar, would you like to try to beat her?" The green-haired knight just smiled in response. He handed Tatsuki a lance, and they both took the ready positions. "Go!" Neither moved.

"Well... That was climactic..." Only Ranulf, Soren, Ike and Gatrie were left watching. Neither Tatsuki nor Oscar had moved in five minutes.

"Maybe it's a staring contest?" Boyd had returned with drinks. After another long wait, Oscar spoke.

"Ladies first." Tatsuki began to circle Oscar, smiling as she passed his face.

_He's waiting for a sound._ She began to walk slower, her bare feet allowing no noise to escape as she began to slowly come closer. Every so often, she would tap the ground beside her, furthest away from Oscar, to pull him further into the trick. Tatsuki stood directly behind Oscar by the time he opened his eyes. Without a sound, she placed the sharp edge of the lance against the soft flesh of his neck, claiming her second win. Again, Tatsuki looked back at Ranulf, who forwarded her gaze to Soren, the last one to train her.

"Well Soren, whatcha gonna teach her?" Boyd broke the silence as Soren tossed Tatsuki a book.

"Study, and we'll fight tomorrow." They nodded to each other, and Soren left. Looking down at the book, Tatsuki guessed the many green swirls meant wind. She plopped down, opening the book to find all different types of magic, and noted written in each margin about how to perform each spell, tips on aiming, and so on and so forth. Ranulf watched the girl give the book her undying attention, so much so, she didn't even come when called for Christmas dinner.

"Tatsuki?" Ranulf didn't even startle the girl as she looked up. The light from the candle made her bark eyes sparkle. "I brought you extra stuffing. They would have let you eat with them, you know." The girl's head shook from side to side as Ranulf placed the plate beside her. Looking up at him, her eyes showed sadness.

"Christmas is shared with family and friends. I prefer to spend it with my family." Ranulf sat down on the desk, beside the food. Slowly, he managed to force some turkey into Tatsuki's mouth, smiling as she chewed with her eyes closed. "I don't think I've ever had food this good." She smiled in between bites. Ranulf smiled back as the plate was quickly emptied. Soon after she finished eating, Tatsuki got up in search on another candle. Ranulf watched her walk over to the cupboard, holding the almost burnt out candle to alight the inside. The old mahogany wood shone, as Ranulf padded over to help her. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he reached to the top shelf and grabbed the boz of candles. Handing it to Tatsuki, he noticed she had turned to face him. "Um...thank...thankyouforhelpingme." Ranulf laughed, a rushed thanks was better than none! Noticing how flustered she was, Ranulf slid his free hand underneath her chin, softly pulling her head up so she was looking at him.

"Your welcome." His warm voice filled the room, making Tatsuki smile as she wrapped her arms around his chest, resting her head on his heart. Ranulf felt his face flush, but tightened his grip, pulling the girl closer. _She's so...fragile...I need to get her more food next time._ As he rested his chin on the top of her head, Tatsuki could feel his warm breath on her ears, giving her goose bumps.

_It's just a hug... But it's so nice._ She sighed, allowing him to intertwine his tail with hers. Moving his lips closer to her ear, Ranulf began to whisper to the girl.

"The candle's almost out, you should go to sleep now." Kissing the tip of her ear, Ranulf let go of the girl, leaning down so their eyes were level. "Alright? You have to fight Soren tomorrow; you'll need all your strength." Tatsuki nodded, the disappointment showing in her face. Without thinking, Ranulf leaned in, placing his lips on her nose. Feeling her breath on his neck, he leaned back. His face flushed, as he saw Tatsuki's face with a pink tinge on her cheeks. She began to shift her weight to her left foot, turning to escort Ranulf out. The candle went out just as he reached to door, leaving Tatsuki to find her bed with the light of the moon.


	6. Christmas

Tatsuki awoke, bathed in sunlight. Groaning, she pulled the blanket higher, not used to the brightness.

"Merry Christmas!!" Tatsuki turned towards the sound, removing the blanket from her eyes. There she saw Ranulf, along with the other mercenaries, except Shinon and Gatrie, all smiling.

"How do you wake up so early?" Tatsuki rolled over, hoping they would take the hint and leave. Instead, she felt Ranulf turn her so she was sitting, facing them all.

"Its noon Tatsuki, but we didn't want to wake you, so we waited to open presents." Rolf could hardly control his excitement. His elder brothers, Oscar and Boyd just laughed, following Rolf out to go find his presents. Ike stepped up to talk next, allowing everyone to leave first.

"You should join us, I'm positive I saw a present with your name on it. And I know you don't have any for us, but that doesn't matter, we're all happy just to have you with us. Besides, you should be buying supplies for yourself anyways, instead of buying gifts; we're going to find a ship tomorrow." Ike then left, obviously out of breath, leaving Ranulf alone with Tatsuki. She just glared at him. Sighing, Ranulf climbed onto the window seat next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"Please come?" Ranulf nuzzled his nose against her cheek, causing a smile to tug at her lips. He pulled her back to his chest, nuzzling her ear, whispering softly for her to join them. She shook her head, causing Ranulf to frown. He then began to kiss the outside rim of her ear, intertwining his fingers with hers. "Please?" She still shook her head, so Ranulf sat up straight. He put his lips to her cheek, leaving a trail of soft kissed all the way down to her neck. Tatsuki shook her head once more before Ranulf gave up. He picked her up, carrying her outside to the main room, where they were greeted by a large tree, covered in sparkling ornaments and bright lights. Setting her down in an empty chair, Ranulf produced a small silver box from his pocket, and handed it to Tatsuki. "Merry Christmas" he whispered in her ear, before snuggling into the chair beside her. Tatsuki peeled away the wrapping to reveal a silver locket; in it was a picture of her family. Looking back at Ranulf, the tears in her eyes began to spill over as he pulled her into a hug, fastening the chain around her neck. "Your mother wanted you to have this."

"Th...Thank you Ranulf." Tatsuki smiled against his chest, wiping her eyes before looking out at every one to explain. "My family was killed when I was very young, so the Gallian king took me in." Ranulf's fingers were wiping away her tears as she continued. As she explained how the king had trained her, Ranulf noticed how skittish she was. He reached out, holing her hands down on her lap. He rested his chin on her shoulder, lightly pressing his lips to the underneath of her jaw line. As her story drew to a close, Ranulf noticed how his actions had given her more courage, only slightly, but still more. Though Ranulf thought he was the only one to notice, Soren had been watching Tatsuki as well.

"We hope you can find a family here Tatsuki." Ike nodded to Soren, who stood. He placed a package on her lap. "This is from Soren and I, we hope that you can get good use out of it." Tatsuki opened the box to reveal a sword. Its long blade was new, and the hilt had carvings of dragons on it. "Soren will teach you to use it later." Ike smiled.

"I noticed you could use magic when we first found you. You will be able to channel the magic into the blade." Soren's gaze found the floor as Tatsuki looked over at Ike, wondering what to do next. He nodded, so Tatsuki got up. She padded over to Soren, and just he looked up, she jumped on him.

"Thank you Soren!" She nuzzled her face against his chest, as he struggled to get her off of him. Slowly, Soren began to stop and hug her back, smiling for the first time in a while.

"Well, now that we've cleaned up the mess Rolf made, I think we have a match to watch!" Ike smiled. _Titania, you never forget anything, do you?_ Soren stood, waiting for Tatsuki before laying down some guidelines.

"How's this sound: first to destroy the dummy wins?" Soren saw a hint of confusion on Tatsuki's face, but continued. "We'll do it out in the forest, so your aim has to be precise... Titania will judge, okay?" Tatsuki nodded, adding her own rule.

"No one else will come, just Titania, you and me." They both nodded. "And... Why are we using dummies?" Soren smiled.

"Sparing, you can miss, and the person will take little to no damage. Magic doesn't miss, if you don't hit the target, it may still cause a little after shock, which in some cases, could be deadly." Nodding, the two women followed Soren out to the forest, leaving behind bets of who would win.


	7. Soren

_Okay focus._ Tatsuki looked over at Soren, who had his book out. _I didn't need to memorize them?! Crap..._ She let out a smell growl, taking her stance to tell Soren she was ready.

"Where's your book, or have you given up already?" The girl growled again, as Soren nodded to Titania.

"Start!" Tatsuki ran at the dummy, her fingers positioned like swords. _I can only release a steady stream of magic from... ten meters, so, here we go!_ She thought only of wind as she sliced at the dummy, Soren's eyes as big as saucers.

_How?!_ Flipping through the book, Soren became even more uncomfortable. _That level of magic isn't even in this book?! Did I give her the wrong one?!_ Tatsuki only needed one more hit to win, but began to wobble as she approached the dummy. _She's used too much of her energy, but yet, she just keeps going..._ Missing, she tried again. _She's looking her aim, does she know any-_ Soren's question was answered as Tatsuki passed out beside the burnt remains of her dummy, as the smell of straw filled the air. Titania had already left to report Tatsuki's win, leaving Soren to carry her back to the base. The mage twitched. _I...have...to ...touch... that sub-human._ The infuriated Soren continued staring at the girl, deciding whether to help her or not. Sighing as his anger faded, Soren walked over to the laguz, who was curled up in a ball now, fast asleep. He placed his hand on her shoulder, shaking her slightly.

"That won't wake her." Lethe had arrived in the clearing, a fresh fish in her hands. The two glared at each other as Lethe passed. Smirking, she walked towards the base, unaware of how clueless Soren actually was. He sighed again, moving the girl so she was sitting up. Leaning her against a tree, Soren moved so Tatsuki was resting her head on his chest, her legs in between his. He tensed up as she snuggled closer, a light blush on his cheeks.

"SOREN!!! TATSUKI!!!" She jumped, hitting her head on his chin. "COME ON YOU TWO!! WE'RE GETTING READY TO GO!!" Ike came out of the bushes, smiling. Tatsuki was wiping the tears from her eyes, as Soren stroked her head, whispering softly in her ear. Ike watched Soren help her up, letting Tatsuki's head rest on his shoulder. Soren leaned her up against the tree, bringing his face closer to examine her new bump.

"Shhh... It's okay, you'll be fine..." She raised her face, looking straight into his eyes.

_Red eyes... they're so beautiful..._ She moved her face closer, trying to see better. _Or fuchsia... I don't know what color they are... but it's... so beautiful..._

_Black eyes?_ Soren looked closer, his nose almost touching hers. _I thought laguz had eyes the color of their fur... does she have grey fur then??_ Soren noticed how close their faces were, his pink blush coming back. _What is this? I feel...warm... but...she's..._Soren noticed her black eyes shining, and made his decision too late. Leaning in, Soren tasted the earthy goodness of tree bark. Looking back, he noticed Tatsuki was already running back to the base.


	8. The Ship

"Bletch!" Tatsuki sat outside her room, listening to the other three girls cope with their sea sickness. Soren walked by, almost tripping on the girl as she stood to go above deck. The moon shone, only revealing Zihark; their newest ally. Walking up to the railing, she stood beside him, letting herself get lost in thought.

_Why? Those people at the port... They were so nice...but..._ She cringed, drawing the attention of the male beside her. _But when they realized Ranulf was laguz, they attacked..._

_Tatsuki stood in shock. The crowd who had just helped them, were now glaring at Ranulf, who rushed to fix his cloak._

_"Beast! Ya stinking sub-humans need to learn yer place! Human towns are too good for ya!" The young boy connected his fist to Ranulf's jaw line, throwing the laguz onto his back. The boy's mother pushed her way to the front of the crows._

_"Eww! It's so hairy! Go on! Scat!" Kicking him, Ranulf stayed down that time. Tatsuki yelped, rushing towards him and helping him up. The lady kicked them both down, as other towns folk joined in._

_"Filthy sub-human scum!"_

_"Beasts!" The words meant nothing to the laguz, the only thing that stung were the bruises. Ranulf shifted his weight, now lying on top of Tatsuki, trying to take most of the blows to protect her._

_"Awww... look at the scum..." The crowd pulled the two apart, welts now covering Tatsuki's stomach. She heard Ranulf call her name as she screamed, the welts now trailing to her thighs. _

_"Stop! Get out of my way! Keep your hands off of them!" Ike had pushed his way through the crowd and freed Ranulf, who held the sobbing laguz close to his chest, whispering words of comfort in her ear. Ike came over, replacing the girl's cloak as she fixed Ranulf's._

_"Who do ya think ya are? Why would a human want to protect some sub-humans?" The boy piped up. The question was answered by his mother, the venom in her voice made Tatsuki flinch._

_"He's a friend of that monster. I saw them talking earlier!"_

_"What's that to you?" Ike helped the two laguz up as the townsfolk called for help._

_"Ike!" He turned to look back at the laguz, the pain showing in both of their eyes._

_"Ranulf! Are you alright?" He nodded, asking Ike why he defended him._

_"Because some fool was going to lay here and get beaten to death instead of defending himself!" Ranulf's arms tightened around Tatsuki's waist._

He thinks this is easy? _Ike just looked at the both of them, when Tatsuki spoke up, the tears still falling._

_"Ike, you didn't have to stop them... Us laguz cannot be hurt by mere scratched...Ow!" Ranulf took his hand off of one of Tatsuki's welts, noticing she had more than him._

Strange, I thought I was taking most of the hits..._ Ranulf began to explain. "Ah Ike. What would you have me do? Gallia and Crimea have formed an alliance. I cannot jeopardize that by harming these people, no matter what ill they bear me, or my companions." He kissed Tatsuki's ears, smiling into her hair as she pressed her body to his, wobbling slightly. Ike's voice was harsh, something she never expected from her commander._

_"Even if none of them care two figs for their own country?"_

_"Even if."_

A tear slipped down Tatsuki's cheek as she was brought back to the real world by Zihark.

"You and the blue-haired one, you were close?" She nodded, looking over at the silver haired mad. She felt another hand on her shoulder as she turned to see Ike and Rhys.

"Rhys needs to heal you. Sit. Now." She smiled, noticing the look of worry on her commander's face. "Everything external." Confusion showed on Ike's face as Tatsuki's voice got softer. "Minus the gender, everything eyes can see is different. Beorc... and laguz need to look with the mind's eye, to see what's inside." She placed her hand over the commander's heart, her warmth startling him. "That's what really counts, what's inside, right?" A smile formed on the young man's face as Rhys finished all the healing he could do. Ike pulled the laguz's face to his chest, soothing her. As her emotions began to pour out, she sobbed into his chest, crying herself to sleep.


	9. Meat

"Soren, can you speak softer? Tatsuki's still asleep" She pushed her body closer to his, trying to cure her shivers. Ike pulled his cape around her delicate body as Soren briefed him on the last battle. "Alright, thanks Soren. Tatsuki, it's time to wake up now. Breakfast!" The two had fallen asleep on the deck, so they were closest to Oscar's cooking. Tatsuki followed sleepily behind Ike as he piled her plate with eggs and bacon. Handing her a fork, Ike laughed. She already had a piece of bacon in her mouth, the inch that didn't fit stuck out of her mouth. Mordecai walked up, noticing the bacon sticking out of Tatsuki's mouth, and pushed her in Soren's direction, pointing to the empty seats next to him.

"Um..." Soren looked up as Tatsuki finished the piece of bacon. "Can I sit here?" Soren ignored her, so she sat down on the ground in front of him. The look on her face showed Soren her dislike for the crispy meat.

"That beorc confuses Mordecai." Lethe and Mordecai had been watching Tatsuki, making sure she was doing alright after yesterdays "incident." Lethe turned her attention to her counterpart, beckoning him to go on. "Soren scowls at Tatsuki, and then allows her to make him smile. What does Lethe think?" Her tail twitched back and forth.

"I don't trust him, but if she does, then fine. If he hurts her, though, _his head will roll._" Lethe finished looking grim, but Mordecai knew she didn't lie. Lethe protected her own kind from anything, no matter how dangerous, or how much she hated them; if they were beast laguz, they were friends of hers. Mordecai smiled as she left, in search of good food.

"So, you didn't use the book when you fought last time." Tatsuki looked up, having forced the meal down. She nodded, her tail flicking back and forth, swatting flies from her view. "How did you do the spells without the tome?" She shrugged.

"I memorized it, thinking you would take the book before we started." Soren nodded.

_She... sits different. It's so casual, like she thinks of me as a friend, but then, it also seems like she's trying to keep everyone at bay._ Soren nodded again, pretending he was listening. _Why does she always have her head down? And __why__ am I thinking about this?! Focus Soren!_ Landing back in reality, Soren noticed Tatsuki was gone. _Crap. Where'd she go?_ Soren felt warm fingers on his face. Jumping slightly, Soren looked over. Tatsuki was leaning down over him, cleaning the crumbs off his face. He twitched, moving out of the girl's grasp as he looked over at his commander. Ike was smiling, talking to Oscar. The smile made Soren melt.

"Soren?" The boy jumped. "Are you awake?" He closed his eyes, trying not to hit the girl. She whispered in his ear again. "It's not nice to openly stare at people." She cleaned her fingers off before taking the two empty plates to Oscar. Soren's eyes followed the girl, noting how silently she walked.

_Damn laguz... She's playing with me._ He scowled, noticing Lethe and Mordecai smiling in his direction. Scowling at them, Soren turned his attention back to his tome. _I hope she's not as smart as I think she is..._

Focusing. Soren had so much trouble doing that. All he could hear was Ike's laughter, which was caused by the young laguz. A pink blush filled her cheeks as Ike patted her head, nodding in Soren's direction. Tatsuki slowly, almost fearfully, walked over to Soren. She whispered 'sorry' to him as he turned to face her. Soren felt a wave of warmth splash over him. _She.. kissed- __Is still__ kissing me!_ Soren's eyes shut as she pulled closer, wrapping her arms around his neck. Gaining the courage to kiss back, Soren wrapped his arms around her waist. _She is __really__ thin..._ Breaking away for air, Soren saw Ike give him the thumbs up, before pointing behind Soren. The laguz were immediately on their feet.


	10. The Fight

"Laguz! Flying ones!" Mist yelled as she was pushed below deck, along with Rolf. Tatsuki stood in front of what looked like the leader, talking to him in almost a whisper. He shook his head, causing her to frown.

"Who's side are we on?" She yelled to Ike. Sighing, he answered.

"Crimea... I guess... We're going to Begnion though..." Tatsuki went back to talking with the laguz, both still in their human forms. The two shared a laugh before she returned to her commander.

"They want the treasure we have, or a fight." Both Tatsuki and Ike drew their swords after the commander finished thinking. The laguz nodded as the enemy began to transform.

"Tatsuki! Cover the door!" The girl grumbled to her self.

_Always stuck with the door... Why can't I do something more... Active?_ She smiled as one laguz flew between her and Ike. Quickly running her fingers down her blade, Tatsuki whispered 'wind' before slicing the bird in half. _Thank you Soren!_ She could easily focus the magic to the blade, and do more damage, than try to hit the enemy herself. Ike nodded his thanks as he ran to the prow. _A wyvern rider?_ The green, dragon-like creature was ridden by a girl, whose red hair was tired up. Tatsuki watched Ike frown as the girl spoke quickly to him. _Come to think of it, there __were__ wyvern riders at the dock... Could she have followed us from there?_ The boat lurched to a stop, interrupting her thoughts.

"We're stuck! Ike! There's a reef beneath up!" Titania hollered, taking out another raven. Everyone had moved to the edges of the ship, leaving Tatsuki to cover most of the deck. "STOP trying to shake us free, you'll damage the ship!" Slowly the ship stopped shaking as the enemy began to retreat.

"Flif." Tatsuki heard another feather drop. _More of them?!_ Whirling around, she was met by a hand clamping over her mouth.

"Don't scream." The commander of the troops whispered as Tatsuki felt her feet leave the ground. Struggling, she kicked her shoes off, trying to hit someone on the ship, but missed completely.

_What. Is. Going. On._ The young laguz closed her eyes, not wanting to see where she was going, and ended up falling asleep in the arms of her kidnapper; Naesala, king of the ravens.


	11. Reyson

_I'm dead._

_That's all there is to it._

_Someone wake me..._

Slowly, Tatsuki awoke, the smell of trees surrounding her. Opening her eyes, her mouth formed a tiny circle. _An...angel..._ Long blonde hair was tied back in a loose braid, and white wings fluttered softly. "I'm dead."

"No. You were asleep." His voice was soft as his hand reached out to hers, his fingers cold.

"But..." Tatsuki's voice became softer, barely audible now. "Angels don't exits, not in this war ridden world anyways..." His fingers touched her lips, silencing her.

"I'm not...an angel... I'm laguz, like you, rare because of our color. I'm Reyson." He looked from the window to her. She smiled slightly as she sat up, answering.

"Tatsuki." He nodded. "Why am I here?"

"We rescued you from the human-scum on that ship-"

"That human-scum was my friends!" She glared menacingly at him, moving closer. "Take. That. Back." Reyson looked confused. He placed the back of his hand to her forehead; the other hand was on the back of her head to keep her still.

"Do you feel well? Why do you defend them?" He leaned closer, his golden eyes staring into hers.

"I have no reason not to." Tatsuki had picked up the habit of defending her friends from Lethe. The laguz eyes showed sadness as he moved his hips closer, sitting cross-legged in front of her.

"Serenes Forest?" She nodded. "They... murdered it... all except my father... and I..." Tatsuki placed her hand on his knee comfortingly, as he continued. "We are in Tibarn's castle, Naesala brought you here and-"

"We want you to feel safe." Reyson bowed as the man entered. His messy brown hair was flat against his face as the smell of rain engulfed the room. He smiled as he walked towards Tatsuki, his brown wings fluttering to dry themselves off. He held out a hand, his warm skin almost the opposite of Reyson's. Taking his hand, Tatsuki was pulled off of the bed, tripping into him. Turning her face to meet his, he picked her up bridal style, introducing himself.


	12. Tibarn

"Tibarn, king of the hawks. This is your bed chamber." Spinning in a circle on his heel, Tatsuki giggled, placing her arms around his neck, a smile tugging at his lips. Walking towards the door on his left, he kicked it open. "And this is the- Hey!" The girl had buried her face into the hair on his neck. "Hey... shhhhh... What's wrong?" Looking up at the maids, they shared they same confused look as their king. Tatsuki whimpered something about too many people. "Shhhh..." Tibarn placed her on the edge of the bath. "It's not that many people... Besides, they're nice people." Tibarn slipped his hand under her chin, raising her eyes.

"Sniff..." Tibarn got down on one knee, moving his hand from her chin to the side of her face. "A... Alright..." Tatsuki felt his hand on her knee as Reyson made his presence known, kneeling beside Tibarn.

"Tibarn, Naesala has requested my presence, is there anything else you would like me to do before I leave?" His friend's head shook, and Reyson rose, placing his hand on Tatsuki's head.

"Be good. These people are nice, don't worry." He smiled slightly before weaving his way though the five maids. Tibarn smiled as Tatsuki's eyes watched the heron leave. Slowly, she turned her gaze to each of the maids, trying to convince herself that there wasn't that many of them. The hawk rose, placing his arm around her waist, pulling her out of the elegant bathroom. He shut the door as the maids began to run a bath. As the sound of running water began to calm the laguz, she sat down against the wall, next to Tibarn. He smiled as her tail twitched from side to side as she studied the room.

_It's not really that big, is it?_ Besides the gold trim on every piece of white wood, the room was very similar to the one she was staying in before. There were bookcases filled with books; all in different languages, and a large window overlooking a large forest. She glanced at the bed, which was quite a bit bigger than her other one. Big enough for two people, the bed was covered in red sheets, the gold trim made each piece look elegant. Tatsuki's ears perked up as she heard the water stop, as she looked over at the hawk. He motioned for her to enter the bathroom, whispering comforting words in her ear.

"They won't bite, I promise." He smiled, leaving Tatsuki to bathe in peace.


	13. Dinner

"Ahh..." Tatsuki sighed , finally relaxed in the warm water, the smell of roses surrounding her as she smiled to herself, letting her mind wander to the others. _Does Ike even notice I'm gone? What about Ranulf? Is he okay?_ Slowly, her eyelids became heavy as she splashed water on her face, trying not to think about the fading bruises. Stepping out of the water, she wrapped herself in a fuzzy towel, finding a note and white box on her bed as she exited the bathroom. "_Tatsuki, I am having __important__ people over for a feast. Please wear this; Reyson will be your date."_ Opening the box, Tatsuki pulled out a pair of black high heels and a long, royal blue dress. _Royal blue? I've never seen myself in anything other than black and white..._She thought to herself as she walked back into the bathroom. Slipping into the dress, she stared at the shoes, wondering how to walk in them.

"Miss, are you done? His highness asked us to help prepare you." She opened the door, wondering how exactly they would "prepare" her. She sat down, closing her eyes as she felt coals being warmed.

"Well, well! Where did this little lady come from?" Tatsuki blushed upon hearing Tibarn's warm voice. She opened her eyes, seeing his toned figure blocking the sun's rays. He leaned down so his eyes were level with hers. She watched the sunlight illuminate each feather on his brown wings.

_So... Majestic... I wonder what flying would be like._ Upon seeing the look on the face of the young laguz, Tibarn smiled. As he made plans to take the girl flying, he was pushed out of the room, and forced to wait on the bed.

After fixing his black suit many times, and helping Reyson with his tie, the door to the bathroom opened. _He told me she was clumsy..._ Tibarn rose with open arms to catch the girl. Instead, Tatsuki walked gracefully out of the bathroom, the satin fabric draped perfectly on her small frame. Her heels clicked as she walked towards the two stunned bird laguz. Smiling, she stopped in front of her date, spinning slowly.

"How do I look?" Reyson smiled as Tibarn's jaw was still on the floor. He placed his hand over her ear; the maids had spiked her hair so it hid them. "Your Highness, do I look alright?" He nodded, noticing the slight blush on her cheeks. Pulling her into a hug, Tibarn whispered in her ear.

"You don't have to stay the entire time, alcohol and men don't mix well with women. But I would like to meet you here after the feast." His lips met her ear as her blush became darker. She nodded, allowing Reyson to lead her into the dining room. The lavish room was filled with bird laguz, who all looked important in their suits and long dresses. Tatsuki gulped. Smiling, Reyson led her towards the table. Tibarn was seated at the head, so Tatsuki sat next to him; and across from Naesala as Reyson took the seat next to her.


	14. More Than Friends

Ike watched his friend eat his meal. _Tatsuki left me that note, but is it true?_ He opened his mouth, but shut it before any sound came out. He had begun to notice Soren staring at him, and the blush that crept onto his cheeks as Soren's own face flushed pink. Ike began to let his mind wander to the mage. _He holds his fork and knife so delicately... Thinking about it, Soren himself __is__ delicate..._

_He's staring at me, is that good?_ Soren began to panic, what if Tatsuki had left Ike a note? _Plus he's watching my body... why?_ He watched as Ike leaned closer, placing his hand to Soren's, holding his fork down.

"Soren, can I ask you something?" Ike got up, sitting on the table beside Soren's plate. A blush crept onto his face as Soren nodded. "Why did you bring your meal to my room, do I seem lonely?" Soren shook his head as Ike began to move his plate. Now sitting where the plate had been, a leg on either side of Soren's chair, Ike smiled as Soren's blush darkened.

"Ike, please. What are you getting at?" Soren had managed to keep his eyes on Ike's face, which he was proud of, considering the view. Ike smiled, getting off the table, but sat back down on Soren's lap. Placing his hands on either side of Soren's shoulders, he pushed the mage to the back of his chair, his lips on Soren's earlobe. A quick breath in told Ike all he wanted; Soren did like him more than he wished to admit.

"Soren?" Ike got up, placing his knee beside the boy's hip, his hands still on Soren's shoulders. "Do you feel... different now?" The boy nodded as Ike's lips met his ear again, leaving a trail down to Soren's collarbone. Ike smiled; the sounds and taste of the boy exited him. Placing his hands to Soren's hips, Ike lifted the mage so he was standing, and then led him to the wall beside his bed, occupying Soren with light kisses as he seduced him.

Ike began to stroke the mage's dark hair as Soren began to sleep, his arms wrapped tightly around Ike's chest.

"I... love you too Soren."


	15. Vegitarian

"Tatsuki?" Reyson had pressed his lips to the girl's ear as she picked at her meat, the vegetables had been finished hours ago. She nodded as the heron smiled. Picking up his plate, he placed his veggies on her plate, claiming her meat as his own.

_Mental Note: Tatsuki's a vegetarian._ Laughing at his friend's joke, Tibarn couldn't help but wonder what the young laguz was thinking about. _"But I would like to meet you here after the feast." I hope she likes it..._

"Mommy, why did they get to trade and I don't?" The woman looked down at her daughter, who sat beside Naesala. She just smiled upon seeing the smiled on the faces across from her. Leaning down, the woman whispered in the girl's ear, loud enough for Reyson to hear.

"Because, if young women eat their vegetables, like Tatsuki did, they grow up beautiful, like Tatsuki." Reyson nodded his approval as Tatsuki blushed, her hair covering her face. Laughing softly, Reyson pushed her hair out of her eyes, placing his lips to her forehead. She snuggled her face into his shoulder as the little girl scarffed down her vegetables.

_I wonder what Tibarn wants with me after the feast..._ The piece of cauliflower stuck to her face as she missed her mouth. _Great. I guess I can't eat and think at the same time..._ Licking the cheese sauce off her fingers, Tatsuki began to smile, seeing how Tibarn was looking at her. He smiled back as they both set down their forks. Reyson noticed the movement, smiling as he finished as well.

"Soren? Soren, wake up." Ike shook the boy lightly as he tried to find his clothes. Ike blushed as his hand brushed the mark Soren had left on his neck. As the mage stirred, Ike placed his folded clothes beside him, leaving to attempt to fix his hair.

"Tatsuki, may I have a private word with you?" She nodded, leaving Reyson to talk with Naesala.

She smirked, her eyes still shut. Tibarn had left a short while ago to get her surprise.

"Tatsuki? You can open your eyes now." She slowly slid her hands off her eyes, revealing a certain laguz.

"Ranulf!" She squeaked as he pounced on top of her, nuzzling her neck with his cold nose. "Ranulf, Why are you so cold?" He pointed her in the direction of the window as she watched the fluffy flakes leave trails of water on the window. 'Oh' was all she could get out before the cat laguz pressed his lips to hers.

_Don't melt._ The laguz shared similar thoughts as Ranulf laid down beside the girl. He brought her back to his chest as his tail intertwined with hers.

"No spell today?" She shook her head, smiling that she could show him her tail as she turned to bury her head in his warm chest. Pulling closer, Ranulf sat up straight, Tatsuki seated comfortably in his lap. As she wrapped her arms around his neck, he pressed his hand to the back of her head. "Should we continue?"


	16. Love

Tatsuki shook her head as Ranulf moved back. That was when she noticed his strangely high level of energy.

"Guess what? Guess what?" She giggles at his hyperness. "On my way here, I discovered the most amazing game!" She nodded, moving closer as he pulled out a square board, placing oddly shaped pieces on some of the squares; filling up the two back rows on each side. Placing the black pieces so they were facing him, Ranulf smiled. "Chess." As he explained the rules, Tatsuki found it quite similar to the war they were fighting.

"Ike?" He looked over at Mist, who was healing Illyana, nodding. "Cold?" The look of confusion told Mist she would need to explain. "The scarf?"

"Yeah. Cold." Ike went off the see if he could get any information from Mordecai on the Feral Ones. Mist just smiled, seeing the slight blush on Soren's face.

"Checkmate." Tatsuki smiled. Each time one of them won, the other would have to discard an item of clothing. _In other words, strip chess._ Tatsuki smiled as Ranulf peeled his shoes off as she cleared the board to attempt her fifth straight win.

_I've got to beat her this time, all I have left is my pants..._ Ranulf placed each of his pawns two spaces in front of where it used to stand, mirroring Kisa's moves exactly.

_He's mirroring me. I wonder how far he'll go._ Placing her queen two spaces from his king, the laguz smiled; she had surrounded his king.

_Crap._ Tipping his king down, Ranulf began to blush as Kisa sauntered over to his chair. Placing her hands on either side of his hips, she smiled as she whispered in his ear, her hands sliding the belt off.

"Now we can continue." Ranulf blushed deeper as he followed her to her bed, placing his hands on her hips as she nipped at his ear, her hands trailing to his now bare thighs.

"Soren..." Ike smiled, trying to get the mage's attention. "What do you want?" Soren placed his hand to Ike's heart.

"Ike... There's no more missions, can we try and find Tatsuki?" Ike nodded, leaving to ask the crew if they had any information.

"Ow! Hey!" Ranulf smiled as he hit the girl with another pillow, taking her off guard long enough to replace his pants. "Ow! Ranulf! You were so eager a second ago! Ow!" The girl began to grab the pillows from the air, throwing them back at Ranulf.

"But this is so much more fun!" Ranulf's smile grew as he dodged Tatsuki's pillows, feathers beginning to fill the air. Tatsuki began to sneeze from the down as she retreated to the bathroom. Ranulf smiled, pulling out his gift and placing it on her bedside table.

Ike, on the other hand, had been talking for three days, and all he had found out was that Tatsuki was kidnapped. _Woop-de-doo._ He knocked on Mist's door, hoping she would be more help.

"Hey Ike, What can I help you with?" Explaining his predicament to his younger sister, she turned to face him, dropping the dirty clothes into the water. "Well... Rolf and I only peaked out in the last seconds, but we saw lots of black feathers, like a bird laguz. We went back to hiding after that, thinking he was after the princess." Ike grasped his sister in a firm hug, surprising the both of them.

"Sorry... I was just so happy. You're the only one who's been any help." She smiled, returning to wash the clothes as Ike went to go find if Lethe had met any bird laguz recently.


	17. Present

_Good. He's asleep._ Tatsuki tip toed out of the bathroom, slipping under the sheets beside Ranulf. Closing her eyes, she felt Ranulf's arms snake around her, bringing her back to his chest. "Ranulf, are you awake?" She felt him nod as he placed his chin to her head, pulling her closer. Tatsuki began to relax as his warmth seeped into her. Letting out a sigh, she closed her eyes, falling asleep with her first friend.

"Hnnnn..." Ranulf licked her face again, feeling her hand meet the back of his head. "Ranulf, stop. It's too early." Pressing his lips to her neck, Tatsuki hit him again, opening her eyes. "What!" He smiled down at her, pulling her up so she was sitting cross legged. Ranulf then left the young laguz to wake up as he crawled over to the night table, picking up the package.

"Tatsuki?" He whispered as the girl groggily crawled over to him, wrapping her arms around his chest. He waited until the girl was supporting herself to present her with the black box.

"Ranulf?" He smiled as the girl took the box in her own hands, her tail flicking back and forth with anticipation.

"You can open it." Slowly peeling off the wrapping, Tatsuki's eyes widened as the contents of the box shone in the morning light.

"Ranulf, what are they?" Placing his hands on the tops of her ears, Ranulf explained the latest jewellery trend; earrings. He had found them in a store just outside of Gallia, and had purchased them without second thoughts.

"You will need to get your ears pierced, but after that you can wear them all the time."

_Wow._ Each earring was in the shape of a crescent moon, and was made from a milky white stone. Tatsuki began to nuzzle her thanks to Ranulf's neck as he placed the trinkets back in the box, nodding to Tibarn as he walked in smiling.

"Well, well!" Tatsuki smiled up to Tibarn as the maids went to run a bath. "Let's see!" Ranulf showed Tibarn the gift, smiling as Tibarn's fingers went to the girl's ears. "It will hurt." Tatsuki nodded as Tibarn rose from his seated position. "There's a place down the street for when you're ready." Ranulf nodded his thanks, noticing Tatsuki had already scampered off to bathe.

"Naesala." Ike allowed the name to roll off his tongue before Lethe continued, obviously uncomfortable talking to the beorc.

"Yes. Naesala." Lethe allowed her impatience to show through her tone, hoping Ike could take a hint.

"Thanks Lethe, just one more thing; could you tell Nasir where Naesala resides, so he can take us there? Thanks." Ike left, leaving a relived Lethe to talk to the captain of the ship.


	18. Enraged

Just wanted to say thanks to every one who reviewed my work, I never thought that so many people would love it!! (self-consious about her work. .") So: THANK YOU!! Oh! This thank you also applies to every one who took the time to read my work as well! hands out cookies to everyone

* * *

Naesala slipped into the shadows, wondering how Reyson would take the news. _He's been sold... But I needed the money._ The raven king was filled with a deep sadness as he left the building.

"What! He hasn't returned!" Tibarn began to panic. _What if he's hurt!_ "Send out a search party." The phoenix warriors divided themselves, leaving their distraught king to decide whether he was hungry enough to finish his dinner.

"Tibarn! Guess What?" Tatsuki bounded into his room, stopping dead in her tracks when she saw the soldiers pass her. "What happened? Tibarn?" Her steps softened as she approached the king, his head in his hands. As she stood, Tatsuki noticed a single tear as she ran to embrace the laguz. The tears came in a steady flow as the king explained the situation to the young girl.

"And, we haven't heard from him since..." Tatsuki had managed to calm Tibarn down as he finished his dinner. "But, your earrings do look-"

"And is there anything else, one of the men was looking Reyson over." Tatsuki began to play with her newly pierced ears as she contemplated what could have happened. _No. Naesala wouldn't have given Reyson to __that__ man!_ Ranulf interrupted the girl's thoughts. She looked back at him as he asked if he could take with Tibarn privately. Tatsuki nodded, shutting the door behind her before running to her room, the tears already falling.

* * *

Tatsuki had buried her head in the many pillows of her bed, trying to drown out the sound of her sobs. Ranulf smiled as he entered the room, padding silently over to the laguz. He placed his arms around the girl, laying his head on her shoulder.

"Shh... Don't worry. Tatsuki, Reyson will be fine." Ranulf pulled the girl up so she was looking at him as his lips met her forehead. As he began to hum in the girl's ear, her tears slowly stopped. Once her breathing was normal, Ranulf pulled her off the bed, and into the middle of the room, still humming. He wrapped her arms around his neck as he began to sway, his hands on her hips. As she pulled closer to him, Tatsuki began to relax, placing her head on his chest.

"Tatsuki?" She was smiling against his chest, her eyes closed. "You hungry?" She nodded, pulling her body closer against his in a hug. Ranulf smiled as he leaned down, allowing the girl to rest her head on his shoulder. Sliding his hand across the backs of her knees, Ranulf picked the girl up and turned to attempt to find the kitchen.


	19. Food

I just wanted to say a quick thanks to Cyberchao X for the reviews. You have no idea how happy they made me! hands box of cookies

P.S. This is about an hours work of social... too bad I should have been working on ... whatever I was supposed to be working on... Next chapter should be done by at least the end of this week!

* * *

Tatsuki smiled as she watched Ranulf grab the bowls. His tail flicked with anticipation, like a child's mind would race before Christmas. Placing one bowl in front of either of them, Ranulf began to scoop the ice cream out of the tub.

"The chef said this is the best of the best; have you ever had ice cream before?" Tatsuki shook her head, as Ranulf smiled; answering the same way she had. Placing three large scoops of the brown substance in each bowl, he handed her a spoon, watching to see if she would enjoy it.

"Ah!" Tatsuki dropped the half filled spoon, surprised by the cold nature of the treat. Ranulf's eyes shot open, not expecting that response.

"Tatsuki!" In an instant he was beside her as she picked up the spoon, forcing what was left on it into his mouth. His eyes widened, then shut blissfully as he sat down beside the girl on the floor. Pulling out his spoon, the two laguz shared the bowl of ice cream, leaving the other bowl to melt.

"Ranulf, what do we do now?" Having emptied the bowl completely, the two laguz began to search the cupboards to find something else exiting to eat. Tatsuki's ears drooped as she sat back down on the floor, having found nothing else to eat. Smiling, Ranulf placed his hand on Tatsuki's head, motioning for her to follow his as he left the kitchen through the back door. The new light blinded both laguz as Tatsuki shut the door behind her. She followed Ranulf through a forest until they both reached a small village. Her jaw dropped as she took in the view from the hill over looking the village. The mist sat just on top of all the little roofs, leaving a blurry streak in her picture. The mountains had been cut off by the mist, their dark grey color accenting the red of each roof. Ranulf smiled, pulling her down the hill and into the village.

"Now the question is; where do we eat?" The girl's eyes lit up as she looked over each shop as they passed it by. The older laguz's face softened, seeing the look of wonder on the girl's face. _She's never really been out of that place, has she? _Ike had told him all about the prison cell they had found the girl in, and the living conditions of the rest of the prisoners. In their eyes, Tatsuki had had it worse than the others, but that was only Ike and Ranulf.

"Tatsuki, have you ever been to a village like this?" She shook her head, her eyes still shining with excitement. Ranulf then noticed how some of the villagers were eyeing them, placing his arm protectively around the young girl's shoulders, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Some of these villagers have never seen laguz, stay close to me, 'kay?" Tatsuki nodded, wrapping her arms around his waist in a hug. Steering her to the left, Ranulf held the door open as they both entered a restaurant. Picking the table farthest away from the door, Tatsuki sat down in the chair in the corner, not wanting Ranulf to see how uncomfortable she really was. She picked the booklet that was sitting on the table up so it was upside down, looking up to see Ranulf struggling to contain his laughter.

"What is it?" Pointing to the booklet, Ranulf tried to speak, his laughter making him unable to covey his message. Tatsuki sighed, throwing the booklet at him, hitting the laguz square in the forehead.

"Ow! Alright, I'm done now." Tatsuki noticed how the low lighting reflected off his shining eyes, watching as he leaned in closer to her. "Tatsuki? What do you normally eat?" She answered bread and water, making a smile tug at Ranulf's lips as she leaned in closer, mimicking his pose. "Well, get ready for a treat." Ranulf moved the menu so Tatsuki could read it, pointing out all the different dishes. He watched the girl's eyes skim over the menu as he placed his hand lightly on top of hers. As they both ordered, Ranulf gave the girl's hand a soft squeeze, grabbing her attention. She turned her head to him, smiling at her friend. "Tatsuki, you don't have to worry." Her head tilted to the side as her face showed slight confusion. "None of these people will hurt you." He moved closer to the girl, continuing. "Besides, they'll have to get past me first!" He flashed a cocky smile at the girl, watching as her face softened, her body beginning to relax.

"Alright, if you say so." Tatsuki moved her chair so she was farther out of the corner, and beside Ranulf as the two laguz watched the beorc enjoy their food. The aroma of pasta broke the moment, leaving the laguz to decide how to eat it. Tatsuki was the first to pick up her fork, spearing a tiny swirl of pasta, dragging it through the sauce, then into Ranulf's surprised mouth. She closed his mouth with the back of her hand, smiling as he began to chew. Mimicking her movement, Ranulf speared a tiny piece of red pepper on top of the pasta before giving it to the girl.

"Mmm…. This is really good!" The girl's ears perked up as she began to spear her own pieces of pasta, leaving Ranulf to fight her for the pieces of shrimp. Ranulf speared the last shrimp, watching a look of disappointment wash over the girl's face. Placing the shrimp to his lips, Ranulf ate only half of the shrimp, placing the remaining half in the girl's mouth.

"Ranulf?" He looked up from the piece of chocolate cake the two laguz had been sharing. "Why are they looking at us like that?" His eyes roamed the restaurant, noticing how the beorc were giving the two smiles, and looks of happiness.

"I… Don't…. Know…" Ranulf asked the waitress as she walked by.

"Well, they look at you two like that because they are happy for you both." The two laguz's faces showed confusion as the waitress explained further. "You both shared a plate of food, and are now sharing a piece of chocolate cake; these are mannerisms that beorc use to show others that they have found a partner." Ranulf blushed slightly, thinking about all the similarities between the two species ways of showing companionship. As Ranulf watched Tatsuki study the other couples, three men dressed all in brown barged into the tiny restaurant.

"Miss Tatsuki?! His Highness has been looking all over for you and your friend!"


	20. Rare Because Of Color

The guards sheathed their swords, and then looked over at Ranulf. "Will you be coming back to sir?" Ranulf smiled as he placed some coins on the table, before helping Tatsuki out of her chair.

"I have some things to look into first, but you can tell Tibarn that I'll be beck by tomorrow morning." He placed a small box on Tatsuki's head before padding through the crowd of beorc. She smiled after him before turning to follow the guards back to Tibarn's castle.

_So Reyson was taken, probably tricked. Naesala probably took him to some collector... Which would mean..._ Ranulf stopped mid-step, turned the other way, and took off running. His only thoughts were now on finding Ike.

Tatsuki walked through Tibarn's palace, the box clasped tightly in her hands. She followed silently behind the guards, not knowing any of them made her even more skittish. As the guards moved aside, Tatsuki was left standing in front of Tibarn's large wooden door again. She pressed her free hand against the door, trying to perk up her ears to hide the nerves. Just as she began to open the door, Tibarn surprised her by opening the door from the other side.

"Please come in Tatsuki." She was surprised by the seriousness in his voice. "There are some things we need to discuss." If it wasn't for Tatsuki's excellent hearing, she would have missed the last bit.

_My safety? Why would I be in danger?_ She closed the door behind her, and then looked over at Tibarn. Taking her hand in his, he led her over to his desk, then placed her in his chair.

"Tatsuki, you know Reyson's been missing, right?" She froze; her ears flat against her head and her tail lay limp against the chair. "You and him are both the same, you know?" Tatsuki looked up at the hawk, the tears almost flowing out of her eyes.

"H-how...so?" Tibarn smiled as he sat down on the desk, his wings fluffed like he was preparing to fly. _What is he getting at? Why hasn't Reyson been found yet?!_

"You're both white, a rare color for laguz now. I wanted to ask you something about that." Tatsuki looked up at him; her ears were beginning to fluff back up. Tibarn sat down on the arm of the chair, placing his hand on her head. "Do you feel safe here?" he nodded, purring as Tibarn's cold fingers caressed her ears.

"Tibarn?" He stopped abruptly. "Will you take me flying?" Smiling, he lifted the girl out of the chair; one hand supporting her back, and the other behind her knees.

"Alright, where to?" Without hesitation, Tatsuki answered.

"Ike!" Tibarn's low laugh filled the room as he carried her through the hallways to the door. "I haven't seen him in forever!" Tatsuki's ears perked up as her tail swayed from side to side.


	21. The Eyes and The Ears

The smell of fresh rain greeted Tatsuki as Tibarn set her down. Their hair was plastered to their faces as she sat down; the view from the mountain stunned her. The hawk smiled as he sat down beside the laguz, wrapping a blanket around her for warmth.

"We'll be with Ike in two days, after 'The Eyes' and 'The Ears' report back on Ike's location.

* * *

He paced back and forth across the deck. _I wish we knew where Naesala took Tatsuki... Then It'd be much easier to find her..._ Mordecai smiled at Ike's frustration, he responded differently than most beorc Mordecai had seen would.

"Ike, does Tatsuki's safety worry you?" Ike whizzed around as Soren suddenly appeared beside him. Two bird laguz landed on deck in front of Ike and smiled to him.

"We are 'The Eyes' and 'The Ears'. We protect Tibarn, king of the hawks, who has taken Tatsuki under his wing."

"She is in no harm?" The two bird laguz nodded to Ike. Soren stepped forward to talk, but was stopped by Ike, who asked his question. "May we see her?" The two laguz nodded again, before 'The Eyes' spoke.

"We were sent to find you, so that Tibarn may escort her to you."

"It is her desire to see you again, please bring the blue-furred laguz, Tatsuki worries about your safety. It would lift her heart to see all of you together safe." Ike nodded and watched the laguz fly off, before realizing he hadn't told them where the ship was headed.

"Wait!" The two laguz turned back to face Ike. "We'll wait in the land of the dragons for you." The laguz nodded before flying off.

* * *

(Sorry it took so long... Chapter 18 dissapeared, so I had to figure out why this was so far ahead... Sorry.)


	22. The Box

"Tatsuki? Wake up, its morning." Her eyes fluttered open as Tibarn slowly stretched his wings. "So how-" His speech was cut off by the sound of flapping wings. As the young laguz stretched, she saw the silhouettes of now three hawks.

"Tibarn?" Tatsuki's voice came out barely above a whisper, not enough to grab the other's attention.

"Your highness, we've located Ike."

"He is currently proceeding to the Dragon Country, where he and his crew will await her. Tatsuki saw Tibarn nod before allowing her to enter the conversation.

"Tatsuki, these are my Eyes and Ears." She nodded as they tipped their heads and smiled back. "They will be taking you to see Ike, I have some important business that's come up." Tatsuki nodded again, before standing.

_sigh Why are all bird laguz so tall?_ Her sigh was more than audible as she moved to standing on her toes, still only coming to the Eyes' and Ears' waistlines. Smiles became more apparent as they explained to her how Ike and the rest of her friends were doing.

--

_Shit._ Ike called for his troops to fall back again, cursing under his breath. _These god damn ravens are too powerful..._ He took a mental note of all his men, making sure to note how they were moving. _Lethe and Mordecai are fine...duh. Soren's still moving alright; as are Rolf, Oscar, Boyd and Mist. Illyana' s ... Well... herself. _The tally moved to himself as Ike groaned inwardly. _My knees messed... shoulder's bleeding... good thing I'm more beat up then they are. _He looked over his limp shoulder, glad that his strategist had covered his weak spot.

"Ike." He shook his head, already knowing what Soren was going to say.

"Soren, this isn't our land. I don't know-"

"We'll pull back into that forest, our people can re-group then." One of the rare moments when Soren would interrupt Ike; when Soren knew he was right. Ike nodded, smiling now as he gave the order.

"Miss? Are you hurt?" Tatsuki shook her head as the tears kept coming. In front of her sat Ranulf's box, filled to the brim with a single golden band.


	23. White

Ranulf ran swiftly through the trees, knowing that he needed Ike's help. Erratic thoughts made it hard for him to take in his green-and-brown blurred surroundings, yet when the smallest glimpse of white caught his eye, he came to a standstill. _???_ His first thoughts were those of Kisa, which caused the blue laguz to bound over the shrubbery to the clearing.

"So, how much do you think we'll get for 'im?"

"Dunno.... a couple thousand wouldn't be enough though... Well, maybe for just one feather...."

Another standstill. Ranulf padded over, hearing a squeak from what used to be the white blob. _Reyson._ He sat, tied down by thin ropes stained with blood. His long, now stringy hair was tied back loosely with a piece of his robe, which was now in shreds. Reyson listened for the conversation a little longer before taking off, even faster, to find Ike.

"It was a dark and stormy night, and the princess grew weary of waiting for her prince to come." Tatsuki paused, looking up at "The Eyes." He smiled back down at her, enjoying her story more than he let on to. He looked back up to the setting sun, wondering where Tibarn had managed to find such a wonderful laguz. The sound of the air passing through Tibarn's bodyguards' wings had put Tatsuki to sleep. Her soft breath was filling "The Eyes" with warmth. As the breath he exhaled turned to smoke, the three laguz touched down in a clearing, the night trapping the blood-stained grass from their eyes.

As Ike and company fell back further into the forest, Soren began to worry. "Ike, wait." The commander looked over at his mage, who had become much more comfortable with disagreeing openly with Ike. "Look." The tone of Soren's voice was more disgust than pity, which made sense to Ike when he looked over. A tall white laguz kneeled facing a tree; his white wings were soiled with both dirt and blood, while his hair had completely fallen out of the rope. "Let's go."

"No. We'll help him." Soren stopped, and then did a double take. "We're retreating anyways, if we can save one more life, we will." Soren would have spat back, if it wasn't his lover. Ike crept over to the laguz, making sure it acknowledged his presence. The hate in its eyes was obvious, while Ike continued to advance. A harsh noise erupted from the laguz's throat, which was countered by a squeak from Soren. "Shhh..." Ike moved so the laguz was facing him, motioning for Mist to come closer. "Mist, we need to heal him, there are definite cuts on his arms." Ike sat down in front of the laguz, reaching to untie his hands.

"Hi, I'm Mist." Ike's sister continued to whisper in a soothing tone to the bird, pausing often to focus on her healing. Ike had pulled out his sword, leaving it on the grass behind him, focusing now on food.

"Rolf!" The green mass ran forward, a loaf of bread in his hands. "Good. We need water as well. Go and fill my canteen." Ike broke the bread into several small pieces, placing one in the laguz's outstretched hands. "I'm Ike, commander of these mercenaries." Elincia was forced to the front of the crowd, hovering slightly behind Ike. "This is Elincia, the one of whom needs our assistance. We would be glad to take you with us until you're healed."

"Listen! You can hear the mercenaries from here!" Ike swore softly before helping the laguz up.

"We need to move, will you come with us?" The laguz took another slice of bread from Ike before shaking his head.

"Daeins, the one's whom have captured me are close." Ike nodded. "Together, we'll end this fight." Ike shook his head, motioning to his troops.

"They have us almost beat." The laguz nodded, closing his golden eyes. As he healed his new "ally's" wounds, he transformed, leaving the ground to fight from the sky.

* * *

Not that I suck at fight scenes... I just do..... Though, this chapter is in honor of my new computer. Yes, my first computer, paid for with my own money :)


	24. In the Forest

As Ike, his men, and Reyson began to cross the forest back to the ship, Ike's thoughts shifted to his other rare laguz friend. "Reyson?" The laguz looked over at his new commander. "Do you know of any other white laguz?" Reyson smiled now, looking ahead.

"My clan were the only white laguz, but not anymore. Yes I know of another, why?" His hand ran lazily through his freshly washed hair as the two stopped.

"I haven't seen Tatsuki in a while, have you?" A soft laugh filled the forest as Reyson's lit up face turned to Ike.

"Yes… I met her recently, within the month. Last I heard she was staying at Tibarn's palace, is she one of your troops?"

"Good." Ike explained what happened, while Reyson filled in the blanks. "Naesala?" …Maybe there were more blanks than Reyson thought.

"You beorc really know nothing, do you?" Ike laughed, allowing both races a smile. They continued walking, discussing how much each race though it knew about the other, and how little they knew in actuality. As the sun began to set, Ike called his troops to set up camp, stopping so abruptly he almost got run over by Soren, whom 'wouldn't walk next to Ike as long as he was walking with that thing.' Ike just laughed, allowing his mage to regain his composure before negotiating with Lethe and Mordecai as to where Reyson would sleep.

"It doesn't matter to me, as long as he's not sleeping with you." Soren crossed his arms, and then continued to put up the tent. A pout appeared on Reyson's face, knowing that Soren held a deep hatred for the other race. Reyson sauntered up behind the mage before using the softest whisper he could manage.

"But, I was hoping to spend the night with you, Soren…" The mage visibly twitched before continuing to ignore the new member of the team, causing silent giggles to break out between Mist and Ike. "Please Commander Ike, I promise I'll be good." Reyson had bent down to Soren's level now, and had wrapped his dangly arms around the boy's chest. Ike just laughed before turning to see if Illyana had finished setting up her tent.

* * *

Written in Social class… shortly after I failed the essay…. It was the fastest written essay you'd every see…


	25. Interlude

_Soren stalked across the camp, his pacing had now almost worn an indent in the soft ground. That girl hasn't moved in hours. He glared over at Tatsuki, who had curled up by the fire side, using her tent as a blanket. Everyone else, with the exception of Illyana, had already pitched their tents, the laguz having pitched their tents a few feet away from the rest of the group. The smell of the food then settled over Soren, as he noticed the full plate of food resting beside Tatsuki. He almost smiled, then remembered the proceedings of earlier that day. A laguz. Why would she hide something like that from us? Stopping mid step, Soren looked over at the laguz, whom had now returned from their hunt. _

_"Awww, look at the little kitten, all curled up by the fire."_

Soren lay in the sleeping bag, staring up at the peak of the tent, noting how the fabric folded. Thoughts of that girl had plagued his mind ever since Ike had mentioned white laguz. His mouth had formed a frown, unknown to him until his commander spoke.

"Soren, I'm sorry… It was just a joke, really; I'd never let you sleep in the same tent as any one else, especially when I know how you love laguz." The last note was sour, but dully noted on Soren's part. He wasn't going to forgive that girl, even though he had been forced to take her messages to Ike. "He was just trying to bridge the gap." Soren looked over at his love, whom had turned; his back now facing the mage. Sleep followed slowly, not that Soren had slept well in the last nights.

Tatsuki slept lightly, a smile still on her lips, her fingers still intertwined with the small box. She had seen married couples wearing them, and also just friends who had exchanged bands. And, for that reason, she had left it in the box, unsure of whether she could put it on or not.

"You should awake now Miss." The Ears smiled down at her, knowing she was almost awake anyways.

* * *

Written for nomey1

I'm sorry it's taken so long... and that it's not very long either, but my spare is almost up...


	26. Or so

_Soren stalked across the camp, his pacing had now almost worn an indent in the soft ground. That girl hasn't moved in hours. He glared over at Tatsuki, who had curled up by the fire side, using her tent as a blanket. Everyone else, with the exception of Illyana, had already pitched their tents, the laguz having pitched their tents a few feet away from the rest of the group. The smell of the food then settled over Soren, as he noticed the full plate of food resting beside Tatsuki. He almost smiled, then remembered the proceedings of earlier that day. A laguz. Why would she hide something like that from us? Stopping mid step, Soren looked over at the laguz, whom had now returned from their hunt. _

"_Awww, look at the little kitten, all curled up by the fire."_

Soren lay in the sleeping bag, staring up at the peak of the tent, noting how the fabric folded. Thoughts of that girl had plagued his mind ever since Ike had mentioned white laguz. His mouth had formed a frown, unknown to him until his commander spoke.

"Soren, I'm sorry… It was just a joke, really; I'd never let you sleep in the same tent as any one else, especially when I know how you love laguz." The last note was sour, but dully noted on Soren's part. He wasn't going to forgive that girl, even though he had been forced to take her messages to Ike. "He was just trying to bridge the gap." Soren looked over at his love, whom had turned; his back now facing the mage. Sleep followed slowly, not that Soren had slept well in the last nights.

Tatsuki slept lightly, a smile still on her lips, her fingers still intertwined with the small box. She had seen married couples wearing them, and also just friends who had exchanged bands. And, for that reason, she had left it in the box, unsure of whether she could put it on or not.

"You should awake now Miss." The Ears smiled down at her, knowing she was almost awake anyways.

And with that, I bid you all farewell. I'm sorry that I can't finish this, from the bottom of my heart I am. But, (finally) I have grown as a person, and … couldn't be bothered to finishes something that screams childish to me.

I will start writing again, of course. I may even re-make this story, but this particular fanfic shall lay to rest.


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